The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book.

I wrote the original Mike Hammer as a comic, Mike Danger.

I know an awful lot of Hollywood people, who are so self-important, I can't understand it.

No one likes my books except the public.

I dont like any of them, because they don't read the books. In Kiss Me Deadly my story is better than his story. Anthony Quinn played in The Lond Wait and he didn't read the book either.

See, heroes never die. John Wayne isn't dead, Elvis isn't dead. Otherwise you don't have a hero. You can't kill a hero. That's why I never let him get older.

I don't like people. I don't like any kind of people. When you get them together in a big lump they all get nasty and dirty and full of trouble. So I don't like people including you. That's what a misanthropist is.